Thank You
by LadeeBear
Summary: Chad wasn't usually the best person when it came to comforting others. Unless it was Sonny Monroe. Sonny/Chad, one-shot.


**Why, hello there wide world of fanfiction. Oh, how I have missed thee! Classes and work have consumed the majority of my time lately, although I have watched the latest SWAC episode, and absolutely loved it. If you all haven't seen it, just go Youtube it as soon as possible! In light of that episode, there have been a lot of people changing Wikipedia lately with an episode titled "I Think She's Back." I am skeptical that this is a real episode, but have been thinking about it lately, and if it IS real, how would I want it to play out? My answer is the following one-shot. I hope you all read, review, and repeat with my other stories and other authors' stories. Enjoy!**

_Disclaimer: I do not now, nor have I ever owned "Sonny With a Chance" or any of its characters. I also don't own Mandy, who is created by the SWAC people. In summary: I own absolutely nothing. …dang, that is depressing._

* * *

"Thank You"

Mandy Wilkerson rolled down the window of her father's expensive BMW and breathed in the smog-infested Los Angeles air, letting it penetrate her lungs. She exhaled happily and leaned against the pane, anxious knots turning in her stomach as the car slid into a parking space outside Condor Studios. She was home. Taking a moment to fix her sandy hair, the teenager paused before opening the door and stepping out into the early afternoon sunlight. Gathering her purse, the girl shut the door and walked around to the driver's side where her dad had rolled down the window.

"Call or text me whenever you're ready to leave. I was thinking we could do Chinese tonight, or maybe sushi. We can get up and have a big breakfast tomorrow before the flight leaves. I figured maybe you'd want to do some shopping after dinner tonight since it's our last night on the town."

Mandy nodded mutely, vaguely listening to her father's comments as she squinted in the direction of the studio before her. Sadly, the corners of her mouth tugged into a smile as she recalled how exactly one year ago, she was filming her last sketch with the _So Random!_ cast. It seemed like an eternity had passed.

"Alright dad," the young woman said with a dazzling smile. Her father nodded in return before backing out of the parking space and veering into the streets of L.A. once more. Mandy took a deep breath before pushing open the doors and navigating the all-too-familiar hallways heading toward Marshall Pike's office.

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It wasn't long before the buzz of Mandy's re-arrival fluttered into the dressing room that Tawni Hart and Sonny Monroe shared. The latter was lying on her back on the couch, feet stuck straight up in the air. The brunette lazily yawned and continued to tap the keys on her cowhide-print phone in response to Lucy's latest text when Tawni flung open the door to her side of the room. It whacked loudly against the wall, startling Zora awake in the air vents and causing Sonny to drop her phone on the floor.

"What's going on?" Zora asked, sleepily sliding the vent open.

"I'll tell you what's going on," the blonde huffed, slamming her purse onto the vanity area, causing its contents to spill out over the side. "I refuse, _refuse_ to share my –" at this point, Tawni gestured to the entirety of the dressing room, "– space with another person."

Sonny's eyebrows furrowed as she scooped her phone up from the floor. "Tawni, you're making even less sense than usual."

Tawni glared as her hands settled on her hips. "I wouldn't bad-mouth me right now, if I were you. After all, the last person to join a show is usually the first person they boot off."

Sonny was more confused than ever and apparently she wasn't the only one. "What are you talking about?" Zora asked.

"I'm talking about Mandy," Tawni replied simply. "She's back."

The room was silent for a moment, and Tawni took the opportunity to clean up the mess of cosmetics she had made. "Ooh, my lipstick," she triumphantly noted, plucking her favorite flavor from the bottom of the pile.

"Woah, wait," Sonny said, snapping her head in Tawni's direction, "who's back?"

"Mandy," Zora answered dryly. "She was the one who _you _replaced."

The wheels turned in Sonny's mind as she recalled her first day on the set of _So Random! _when Marshall had indeed mentioned that Sonny would be replacing a girl named Mandy. But could Mandy possibly want her old job back? Nervousness culminated in the pit of the brunette's stomach.

"But replacing the replacement with the original seems kind of redundant, doesn't it?" Sonny asked.

Tawni lifted a shoulder in a shrug. Zora looked sadly at Sonny and shook her head. Upon seeing Sonny's glum disposition, the youngest member of the cast chirped: "Don't worry, Sonny. You're not going anywhere. I'm sure it's just one of those crazy rumors floating around this place. I blame the airheads who spread them."

At this, both girls turned and looked at Tawni who was filing her nails in boredom. The blonde looked up and rolled her eyes. "I know I'm not always the most reliable source, but this time it's true. Everyone in the studio is talking about Mandy being back."

"Wow," Sonny sighed. "Guess you guys will be excited for me to pack up my stuff and head on home to Wisconsin."

Tawni and Zora shared a look. If the moment had been a television sitcom, Sonny most definitely would have induced a chorus of sad "aww's" from the audience members. Zora stared poignantly at Tawni with a look that resembled more of a threatening glare than anything else, so the blonde sighed.

"Look, you can't tell anyone else, but I – I really have started to enj – enj –" Tawni apparently was finding it difficult to choke out her sentence.

"What Barbie over there is trying to say," Zora finished, "is that we all have enjoyed having you here. You're family, and we don't want that to change. You can't go back to Wisconsin."

Tawni nodded and smiled genuinely. "Who else is going to co-star with me in the 'Check It Out Girls Go to Hawaii' sketch?"

Sonny beamed. "You guys mean it?"

"Yeah, we'll go with that," the blonde replied. "Just don't tell anyone else about this. All this sentimental stuff is starting to weird me out."

In typical Sonny fashion, the brunette grinned even wider and faced Tawni. "Then prepare yourself for it to get even weirder." And with that, she flung herself in a hug onto Tawni.

The latter was still whining about her bubble as she knocked on Marshall's office door.

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Chad Dylan Cooper was not one to trifle himself with idle gossip. He was above that. Far, far above that. So when Portlyn came bouncing up beside him, tugging on the sleeve of his jacket, he barely listened to her incoherent babbling.

That is, until he heard the words "Sonny" and "leaving" used in the same sentence.

"I'm sorry, wait, what?"

Portlyn rolled her eyes and heaved an exaggerated sigh. "Clearly, you weren't listening to me." _Clearly with good reason_, Chad thought, but decided against saying anything aloud. Portlyn continued. "I just heard from the girls down the hall that Mandy Wilkerson is here and she wants to come back to Chuckle City."

Chad's heart seemed to plummet into his stomach, but he dismissed his emotional reaction for a moment. "Marshall would never let that happen," he said definitively. He couldn't. Ideas were already forming in his usually self-absorbed mind. He could probably pay Marshall off so that Sonny could stay. He was still in Mr. Condor's good graces after spending the day with Dakota, so perhaps he could pull some strings there…

_Woah, CDC. Why do you suddenly care so much?_

Portlyn was smarter than most people gave her credit for, and as she watched Chad's face, she could almost see his thought progression. "You don't want her to leave, do you?"

Chad scoffed. "I mean, I…"

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt," the actress replied in a sing-song voice.

Chad frowned. "But, I didn't even deny anything."

Portlyn smiled and Chad's cheeks turned slightly pinker as realization dawned on him. "I just don't want to hear you go on and on for minutes about how much you don't really like her when I can just cut to the chase and save us both time."

"You're good, Portlyn."

The girl bowed dramatically and laughed. "Thank you," she responded. "Now, if I were you, I would probably find Marshall."

She hadn't even finished her sentence, and Chad Dylan Cooper was already half-way out the door.

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"What are _you _doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Can't I come in and talk to Marshall?"

"Oh, and you just happen to want to talk to Marshall on the same day that Mandy is back to visit?"

Tawni's final statement was a challenge, and Chad snapped his mouth shut as the two stared each other down. Marshall, who was currently seated at his desk, rubbed his temples and beckoned the two actors to sit.

"Now, let's start with one complaint at a time, okay?" he asked.

"You can't let Mandy come back!" came a reply from not one, but both of Marshall's guests. Tawni and Chad looked at each other, this time curiously.

"Why don't you want her back?" they asked simultaneously. After a second of pausing, realization dawned on both of them, and they continued in unison: "Is it because you like Sonny?"

Marshall held up his hands. "Enough with the simultaneous responses!" he shouted. He took the opportunity of silence to pop two Asprin into his mouth and gulp down some water. "Now, since it seems like both of you have similar concerns, why don't we talk about them reasonably?"

"You can't put another person in our dressing room."

"You can't fire Sonny – she's been a great addition to your show, even if it is a comedy."

Tawni glared. "Really, Chad? Did you have to throw that in?"

Chad shrugged. He couldn't help it.

"What I'm trying to figure out," Marshall began, "is how you two got the idea that Mandy was coming back to the show."

The two teenagers sat quietly and began to fiddle with their various articles of clothing. Marshall interpreted the awkward silence correctly. "Ah, you guys heard the kids around the lot talking, didn't you? What have I told you all about gossip?"

"Don't believe it unless you hear it from you or Mr. Condor first," the pair mumbled.

"Exactly," Marshall replied with a satisfied smile. "Mandy," he explained, "was here to visit today. She wanted to get a chance to spend some time with you all before she left L.A. Her father got a job transfer so they're moving to London. Today is the day she wanted to say goodbye."

Tawni and Chad stared at their hands in embarrassment. "Oh."

"Look, I can tell you both really care about Sonny or else you wouldn't have come down here in the first place. But don't worry – she's not going anywhere. It's Mandy who is. And, if I can say so, I think she deserves to have a proper goodbye just like you would have given to Sonny."

_Darn Marshall and his darn insightfulness and his darn always being right_, Chad thought bitterly. He looked over at Tawni, who was nodding. "Yeah, you're right Marshall."

"She's in the commissary," Marshall explained. "It might be nice if her old cast mates were there to say goodbye," he added with a poignant look at Tawni. "Nico and Grady are already in there. I think I saw Zora dart in for a minute before the two of you ambushed me outside of my office."

Chad chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Rising from her chair, Tawni announced her departure to the commissary, and Chad rose as well. The blondes looked at each other before Tawni beckoned him out into the hallway. Throwing another apologetic look at Marshall over his shoulder, Chad followed.

"Can you go explain to Sonny what's going on? She's still in our dressing room, I think. Or she might have gone to the prop house. Either way, I don't want her being all freaked out all day. Not that I care, or anything."

Chad smirked. "You so do care. Admit it; she's your best friend."

Tawni's eyes narrowed and she looked at Chad. "If anyone should admit anything here, it should be you admitting that you care about her."

Chad sputtered. "Well, I…"

Tawni clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "Denial isn't just a…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it already!"

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Sonny blinked back tears as she stared around the prop house, revisiting memories of various sketches. Her cast was nowhere to be seen – she had asked all over the lot for them, finally discovering that they were out with Mandy.

At the very thought of her name, Sonny wrinkled her nose, but softened. It was true that Mandy had been a part of the cast before she had, so why wouldn't her friends care about her more? They had more history together, probably more inside jokes. She could picture them laughing over fro-yo as they talked about sketches that Sonny had only watched on television.

The brunette groaned and wiped away a few trailing tears on her cheek before slumping onto the couch.

"Knock, knock," came a very familiar cocky male voice. Furiously brushing away the last of her tears, Sonny looked up to see Chad strolling into the room.

"What do you want?" she asked a bit too harshly.

Chad held his hands up in defense. "Woah there," he replied. "I just came by to deliver some news to you."

"I don't care that you were named Tween Weekly's number one 'Most Beautiful Guys,'" she snipped.

Chad furrowed his eyebrows. "That wasn't what I came here to say," he remarked slowly. His face turned into a smirk. "But I'm flattered that you think I would be number one on that list."

Sonny opened her mouth, but sputtered. "I don't – I mean – I – ugh." She clutched the nearest pillow to her chest angrily. "Then what do you want, Chad?"

Chad walked toward the couch and gestured to the spot next to Sonny. She sighed and rolled her eyes, scooting over to make enough room for him. Slinging his arm over the back of the couch, Chad noticed the streaks that had trailed down Sonny's cheek and he touched her shoulder lightly to get her attention. The brunette looked at Chad with embarrassment, trying desperately to avoid prolonged eye contact. Even as she turned away, she could still feel his eyes on her.

"Were you crying?" he asked gently.

Sonny shook her head, staring at the pillow she was cradling. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't let Chad see her being emotional. She was too vulnerable, and it scared her.

Chad removed his arm from the couch and folded his hands together in his lap. "You wanna talk about it?"

"There's nothing to talk about," she responded.

Chad stared at her momentarily before shrugging. "Look, I know Mandy's here today." Sonny visibly stiffened beside him at the mention of Mandy's name. Chad noticed and continued. "But honestly, I think you've got it all wrong, Sonny."

Sonny turned her chocolate eyes to Chad. "I don't want to be replaced. I've been sitting here thinking about all of the great times Mandy probably had with my friends. It's no wonder they're out celebrating with her now." Sonny paused and frowned. "They're probably thrilled to have her back."

"Well, I know one person who wouldn't be thrilled to have her back," Chad finished. Sonny furrowed her eyebrows to meet Chad's gaze. "Me."

A hopeful wave flipped in the pit of the girl's stomach and a blush crept onto her cheeks. Chad snuck a glance at his companion and smiled, deciding to continue to break the silent tension. "Mandy's cool, don't get me wrong. But she definitely didn't bring anything to the Chuckle City group. She's funny, but she can be a bit awkward to be around at times."

Sonny raised her chin and met Chad's eyes. "And what about me, Chad?" she asked bravely.

The blonde reclined against the back of the couch and folded his arms over his chest. "What about you?" he repeated. "Well, for starters, you are _way _too energetic." Sonny glared at him and mimicked his action, sinking back into the couch. "And you've always got these crazy schemes in your head. You let other people take advantage of you because you're too soft. And you're a terrible liar," he finished.

"Wow, Chad, you really know how to boost a girl's spirits," she sardonically replied.

Chad turned his body so that it was angled toward Sonny. Her face and his were close enough that she nearly got lost in his oceanic eyes again. So she scooted backward a fraction and let Chad speak. "But," he continued, his voice softening, "you're also incredibly sweet, selfless, genuine, and – for being on a sketch show – you're actually really talented."

Sonny blushed and Chad coughed, attempting to resort to his egotistical self. "Of course," he added, breaking eye contact with Sonny and popping his collar, "you'll never be able to match this talent."

"What talent?" the brunette asked, mouth twitching into a smile.

Chad narrowed his eyes. "Oh, you know you think I'm talented."

"In your dreams, Cooper."

"Yes, I am. And apparently, in those dreams, it's so clear that you want me."

"I want you," Sonny remarked with a glare, "to stop insisting that I like you. The only person who likes you is you!"

"Fine," Chad huffed.

"Fine."

"Good."

"Good."

As the pair settled continued their banter, they failed to realize that they had actually risen from the couch and were standing a few feet apart, angrily staring down each other. Chad let out a breath he had been holding in, and instead of growing more frustrated, softened. Sonny took note of this and looked at him questioningly. As Chad looked at the girl who stood across from him, he couldn't help but want to tell her everything that he was feeling. When he opened his mouth, however, he was reminded of what he was supposed to tell her.

"Look," he began, "the reason I came over here was to tell you that Mandy isn't replacing you. She's just back to say goodbye. Her family is moving to London soon, and she wanted to spend a day with some of her old friends. That's it, nothing more."

Sonny opened and closed her mouth before muttering an "oh."

"It's not your fault," Chad assured her quickly. "We all kind of jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"I feel really stupid," she continued with a bitter laugh.

"Don't," he insisted, taking a step toward her. Sonny looked up from her shoes and her breath seemed to get caught in her throat as Chad took a step closer. By now, there was less than a foot separating them from each other. The blonde looked at Sonny, heart pounding loudly inside of his chest. This was it – he was going to tell her. He was going to tell her everything that he had kept bottled up inside, from the day he met her to the present. And as he met her eyes, he shuffled his feet a step closer. Her eyes widened, but she didn't take a step back.

"Sonny, there's something else I need to tell you," he began quietly. Sonny's eyes begged him to continue and he licked his lips. "I –"

"Sonny!"

Chad and Sonny jumped away from each other quickly and turned their heads toward the entrance of the prop room where a Tawni stood, leaning against the frame. She took notice of the awkward situation, but pursed her lips in an attempt to hide her excitement. Sonny cleared her throat and Chad rubbed the back of his neck.

"Mandy said she was really looking forward to meeting you," Tawni continued. "We're all headed out for some fro-yo. Wanna join?"

Sonny nodded and her face broke into a smile, causing Chad to sneak a glance and smile as well. "Yeah, I'll meet you in our dressing room in a second." Tawni looked from Chad to Sonny with a knowing glance and left with a wave.

"So," the brunette began slowly, "what did you need to tell me?"

Chad looked at his shoes before meeting Sonny's beautiful brown eyes and shrugging. "It can wait."

"Well, I guess I should head out and meet Mandy then," she concluded. With a final nod of acknowledgment, Sonny headed toward the door. Chad sighed and fixed his hair, sighing. He had the perfect opportunity, and it had been ruined.

Footsteps could be heard, and Chad looked up to see Sonny re-entering the room. He frowned and was about to open his mouth and ask a question, but before he could utter a sound, Sonny strode to where he was and stopped a few inches away. Standing on her toes, she placed her hand on Chad's shoulders for steadying support and brushed her lips over his cheek. She pulled away and bit her lip before smiling.

Chad, clearly dazed, mumbled: "What – what was that for?"

A smirking Sonny replied: "Just a thank you." And with that, she walked out of the prop room, glancing over her shoulder to laugh at the stunned expression on Chad's perfect face. As soon as he was sure she had left, he touched the spot where she had kissed him and his face burst into a smile.

"No, Sonny, thank _you_."

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**Well, I hope you all enjoyed that! I wanted to end it the way I feel it would end on an actual show. Although I do love Sonny and Chad together, I don't think the producers would have them kiss quite yet. But a kiss on the cheek couldn't hurt, now could it? Hit the button that says review, and let me know your thoughts! The more constructive the feedback, the more it helps me to grow as a writer. Thank you all for reading and I hope to write more when I have free time soon!**


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